Why Are People Buying Plastic Pallets?
22 Dec 2016
A recent survey conducted by Peerless Research Group for Modern Materials Handling magazine got 286 responses about the use of pallets for shipping and transportation. The survey asked respondents which factors were important to them when deciding which type of pallet to buy.
Price Is Most Important
The survey has revealed that pallet users largely base their decision on pallet choice according to price. In fact, almost 61% of respondents rated purchase price as the main influencing factor for picking a certain type of pallet.
Strong and Long-Lasting
Pallet users are not just persuaded by price when it comes to pallet choice. The survey has demonstrated that other factors are important, particularly strength and durability. 55.6% of the respondents look for a pallet that is robust and sturdy, whilst 54.3% want one that is durable and built to last. Plastic pallets have been shown to excel in both strength and durability, so it is little wonder that more and more pallet users are turning to plastic.
Reusability Matters
Pallet users also value pallets that can be used again, with 44.4% of survey respondents rating reusability as a feature for pallet choice. Again, plastic pallets are proving to be popular for those seeking pallets that can be used repeatedly due to their durable nature and the fact that they are hygienic and easy to keep clean.
Other Factors
Respondents could choose from more than a dozen factors that influenced their decision for purchasing Euro pallets and other pallets, and aside from those already mentioned, over a third of respondents rated aspects such as cost per use, customer use and availability as important. Interestingly, despite more of us making environmentally friendly decisions, recyclability only received 17% of the votes.
Wood Rules
The survey revealed that wood is still the main choice of pallet used for shipping and material handling, with 96% of respondents selecting this option. That is not to say that respondents would not consider plastic pallets for sale, as 37% of those surveyed would choose this option. With plastic scoring highly in terms of price, durability, strength and reusability, it is not hard to see why this is becoming a popular choice.
On a smaller scale, 15% of respondents would choose wood composite for their pallet, whilst a mere 5% prefer metal pallets.
New or Used Pallets
When it comes to choosing whether to use a new or recycled pallet, it seems that almost two-thirds of the respondents are happy to use one that has been recycled. Just over half said they would opt for new pallets. A small number of respondents (13%) make use of pallet pools.
Stringer and Block Pallets
Stringer pallets appear to be the preferred choice for the majority of survey respondents, accounting for 54% of the results. Just 20% favour block pallets, and a further 20% use a mixture of both. On a year-to-year comparison, stringer pallets have gained in popularity, whilst block pallets have fallen slightly out of favour.